castlefandomcom-20200223-history
Headhunters
Headhunters is the twenty first episode of the fourth season of Castle. Summary With tensions rising between Castle and Beckett, Castle finds himself a new partner — Detective Ethan Slaughter (guest star Adam Baldwin, Firefly), a tough and colorful cop from the city's gang unit. But Castle gets more than he bargained for when Slaughter shows him a grittier side of police work that puts Castle in the line of fire like never before. Recap Promo Cast Main Cast *Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle *Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett *Jon Huertas as Detective Javier Esposito *Seamus Dever as Detective Kevin Ryan *Tamala R. Jones as Dr. Lanie Parish *Penny Johnson Jerald as Captain Victoria Gates *Molly C. Quinn as Alexis Castle *Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers Guest Cast *Adam Baldwin as Detective Ethan Slaughter *Michael McGrady as Brian Reilly *Michael Dorn as Dr. Carter Burke *Mario Ardila Jr. as Gilberto Mendoza *Ramona DuBarry as Reporter *Reynaldo Gallegos as Vales *Jan M. Janssen as Officer Jenkins *Clifford McGee as Maxi *Carter Mitchell as Homeless Man *Stefan Niemczyk as Shea *Cristopher Rivera as Detective Marc Gibson *Anna Zielinski as M.E. Laura Wilson Trivia *This is Castle's second encounter with the Westies. In both cases, a Westie was the victim. Finn Rourke, leader of the gang, is mentioned but not seen in this episode. *Ryan suggests that Castle is "cheating" on his friends by shadowing Detective Slaughter. However, he's actually hooking up with an old flame. Actor Nathan Fillion co-starred with Adam Baldwin in the short-lived but beloved series Firefly. Among the many Firefly references in this episode: **The episode opens with Castle playing with dolls action figures. This mirrors a similar opening for one of the main cast in Firefly, including fact that one is a dinosaur. **In an attempt to persuade Slaughter to let him accompany him, Castle gives Slaughter his brown coat. Nathan Fillion's character in Firefly wore a brown coat, and was a former soldier with the "Browncoats"; Firefly fans sometimes refer to themselves as Browncoats as well. **Fillion's character has a fist fight in a bar while Baldwin's character looks on, eating peanuts, mirroring a similar scene in a Firefly episode, The Train Job. **Alexis's contention that "the Universe" might be sending her a sign is a reference to both "A Deadly Affair" (when Castle, also on the outs with the 12th, wins his way back into their good graces), as well as Firefly, where the notion that the Universe sends signs comes up frequently. *Coffee once again is a weathervane of Castle's relationship with Beckett. Castle offers Beckett coffee, which she eagerly accepts. However, when she realizes that he's just there to learn about Slaughter, she puts the coffee down. Castle's gift of coffee has always been a symbol of their partnership; by using it in this way, Castle is not just distancing himself from her, he's also casting doubt on what they might ever have had. Much as he believes she already has. *Castle waits outside as Slaughter questions his "informant". Next to him, a sign reads, "Blood will out." *Castle is in the process of writing Frozen Heat, the fourth Nikki Heat novel, and the last one required by his contract. Notes and References Category:Season 4 episodes